June 2009
11 posts
Remodeling Business Improving in Western Mass. →
By Joseph Bednar, BusinessWest Online
Business is picking up for remodelers, but cautious consumers are focused on needs, not wants.
Kansas City Suburbs Ripe for Remodeling →
Suburbs look for solutions as they show their age
By MARK WIEBE, The Kansas City Star
The houses that began spreading across northeastern Johnson County in the mid-1940s represented a vanguard suburban movement in the Kansas City area…But the houses left in the wake of that boom — which lasted from the post-World War II years to 1970 — didn’t stay new forever. By today’s suburban standards, many...
Prairie Grove Considers Requiring Remodeling... →
By Scott F. Davis, Northwest Arkansas Times
The Prairie Grove City Council tabled on second reading an ordinance requiring a residential remodeler’s license from the Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board for contracts greater than $20,000.
Dramatic Powder Room Remodel With Granite Slab... →
Remodeler Mark Daniels of Mark Daniels Kitchen & Bath in Manassas, Va. installs a single slab granite floor in his sleek powder room. View the final project and a slide show of the step-by-step installation.
Homeowners not afraid to splurge for remodels →
RenovationHouse projects increase as many decide to get creative
BY TIM FALL (The Oklahoman)
Inventory stack-ups in new and used homes are causing sweat beads on the foreheads of many Realtors, builders and sellers, even in Oklahoma’s relatively chipper housing market.
In one sector, though, things are looking decidedly up: Renovations and remodels.
Existing Home Sales Hit Bottom →
Kitchen & Bath Design News
Existing-home sales dipped to their lowest annualized level in years during the first quarter of 2009…Housing analysts believe, however, that existing-home sales are now beginning to stabilize, amid signs that first-time buyers are responding to low mortgage interest rates and tax credits.
Free Building Permits in Denver →
Friday, June 5, 2009 Denver Business Journal
Denver residents have pulled 291 free building permits for $1,422,198 in home-improvement construction during the first week of the city’s two-week offer of free permits, officials said Friday.
Composite Decks Recalled by Louisiana-Pacific →
Decks Can Deteriorate and Break, Posing Fall Hazard
Remodelers build on spark of recovery →
By Lisa Rauschart, special to The Washington Times
Drive around the neighborhoods of the greater Washington area and you may literally see more signs of economic recovery.
Contractor Conundrum →
by J.N. Sbranti for the Modesto Bee, Modesto, CA
Nailing down jobs hard when rivals are unlicensed
Power to the people →
By Onell R. Soto, staff writer, San Diego Union -Tribune
One Block Off the Grid uses community activism to build networks of solar energy systems so homeowners can get volume discounts
April 2009
5 posts
Reclaiming the Environment →
by Rosa Salter Rodriguez, The Journal Gazette
Every day is Earth Day to these Fort Wayne ”ecopreneurs”
Santa Barbara Backs Fire Sprinkler Mandate →
By Lara Cooper, Noozhawk Staff Writer
Council votes to require fire-suppression systems in new single-family homes and in certain commercial and residential remodels
Hope on the Home Front →
— from The Daily Sentinel, Grand Junction, CO
Building officials with both Mesa County and the city of Grand Junction … believe the slowdown in housing starts here may be bottoming out.
A Turnaround in Design Work →
By Joan Verdon, The Record, Hackensack, N.J.
Apr. 7—A Little Falls business is betting the remodeling market is about to bounce back in a big way and has begun construction on a $5 million, 38,000-square-foot complex of remodeling, design and appliance showrooms.
Establishing Allies →
In my next Road to Recovery story, an Indiana remodeler talks about how aligning with supplier salespersons, subcontractors, and a condominium manager has helped him nurture his year-old company.
March 2009
9 posts
Second Home Sales →
Vacation and investment home statistics from the latest Investment and Vacation Home Buyers Survey from the National Association of Realtors.-N.P.
Road to Recovery: Life Lines →
Though remodeler Steve Ramaekers in Detroit is struggling, he is able to stay in business due to his handyman division, renegotiating rent and insurance contracts, and by tracking real estate values.-N.P.
Success Index for Small Biz →
Take this survey to see how competitive are you. Complete the survey and receive a score that you can use to compare your company against the average small business.—N.P.
Partial DIY?
One Tennessee remodeling company is relaxing its full-service sales pitch in this tough market and allowing clients to DIY specific segments of their projects. http://www.remodeling.hw.net/consumer-sentiment/partial-diy.aspx
Residential Home Building & Remodeling... →
By Dirk Perrefort, THE NEWS TIMES, MARCH 6, 2009
DANBURY, CT — City building officials said they’ve seen a surge in residential construction applications — a trend they hope will continue.
Staying Put And Sprucing Up: Remodeling Picks Up →
By Kim Souza, THE MORNIGN NEWS, March 6, 2009
SPRINGDALE, AR — Handyman work and home remodels are picking up steam as more homeowners are staying put and sprucing up the homestead during the lengthy economic slump, according to the owners of Handyman Matters in Springdale and Janacek Construction in Rogers.
3 tags
A Dozen (plus) Ways To Cut Overhead →
Alan Hanbury, co-owner of House of Hanbury Builders and former NAHB Remodelers chairman, has put together a comprehensive list of ways to cut overhead costs without putting your business at risk.
Find Remodeling Magazine on Facebook! →
Kitchen and Bath Financing Option
The National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) and GE Money have teamed up to provide financing through NKBA dealer, designer and builder/remodeler members. The Home Design program provides attractive promotions such as no payment and deferred interest options. For more on the program, call 866-209-4457 or visit www.gemoney.com/homedesign —Nina Patel
February 2009
14 posts
How Should Customers Communicate With You?
This chart on how homeowners should talk to their contractors is on a blog by freelance writer Kathy Price-Robinson. She’s spoken to a lot of homeowners for her research and has an insight into how they think. For 11 years, she’s written a column called Pardon Our Dust for the Los Angeles Times. She has also written stories on remodeling projects for Remodeling and Upscale Remodeling....
New Home Performance Association
Efficiency First is a newly formed trade association dedicated to retrofitting exisitng homes to reduce energy consumption. It will represent home performance workers and companies including energy auditors, raters and weatherization contractors. The organization plans to work with policy makers at both the state and federal level, and is especially interested in accelerating President Barack...
The Stimulus Package--what's in it for remodelers?...
Remodeling Stimulus
The approved stimulus package provides additional tax credits for homeowners for energy-efficient improvements that are effective through the end of 2010. Read my story and learn more about them so you can market window and door replacement, insulation installation, and even geothermal and solar upgrades to your clients.—Nina Patel
The Healthiest Housing Markets for 2009 →
Remodeling sister publication Builder debuts its metric for determining markets with the best and least potential.
Green Advisors ... or Troublemakers? →
A review of a new website for the building community — and the conversation that ensued.
RMI: Remodelers' Market Confidence Plummets →
In the fourth-quarter of 2008, remodelers responding to NAHB’s Remodeling Market Index revealed lowest-yet expectations for work now and in the next three months. But Census Bureau projects that residential remodeling will pick up in 2010.
NAHB Green Standards Update
In our January issue, I wrote a story on legislation. Under the Green Programs headline, I covered the National Green Building Standard for new homes, remodeling, and multi-family projects being developed by the NAHB. This week, the proposed draft of the standard was approved by American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The NAHB says it is the first green building rating system to be approved...
Bargain Hunters
Good. Fast. Cheap. You can’t have all three. But some homeowners think they can. Especially in today’s tough economy. A few remodelers I’ve spoken to in the past few weeks have mentioned that some clients want remodeling services at a bargain rate. They negotiate or draw about the sales process hoping for discounts or a price drop.
Angie’s List, the membership company that rates service providers,...
Crowd Sourcing Can Help →
More on my favorite topic these days — getting the crowd to help. This time, a couple of graphic designers have set up shop helping people get the most from crowdsourcing for logos, branding, and other marketing ideas. Check out, “The Creativity of Crowds,” by Christopher Steiner for Forbes. —Stacey Freed, senior editor, Remodeling
Small Contractors Scramble for Work →
This story by Doug Radunich for the Tooele Transcipt Bulletin in Tooele, UT, includes conversations with several contractors and specialty tradesmen about how their market has changed and the adjustments they are making to survive. —SA
The 11 Most Overlooked Tax Deductions →
This comes from Intuit. It’s obviously a plug for TurboTax, the company’s tax-preparation software, but there’s some good tax info in here. Not everything applies to everyone, but it’s worht a look to see if there are some deducitons you’ve been missing. —SA
January 2009
43 posts
POV: A House is Not a Home →
Iconoculture’s experts say that with the change in economic conditions, homeowners’ housing- and home improvement-related decisions are based on core values and needs - not square footage. They say this requires a shift in focus for remodelers and designers as well. Try using the “lens of Lifestyle Zones” instead of square footage to maximize your product’s potential.
Recovery Timetable?
Per Builder magazine’s coverage from the International Builder’s Show, the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University expects that remodeling spending by homeowners will shrink at least through the fall of this year. Read senior editor John Caulfield’s story here.
However, I spoke to a California remodeler yesterday who is a member of a local builder’s group. At a recent meeting where...
AUDIO CLIP: Remodeling Trends for 2009
Robin...
LaurenHunter_HW on Twitter
A warm Twitter welcome to @products_hound, HW Senior Editor and resident TV star, Nigel Maynard!!
LaurenHunter_HW on Twitter
Problem: How does one accomplish actual work when there are so many blogs, tweets, and articles to read. Am I the only one who can’t do it?
LaurenHunter_HW on Twitter
Revenue and profit numbers from some Big50 candidates look promising! Upcoming interviews will bear out their validity. Cross your fingers!
LaurenHunter_HW on Twitter
New blog post in which I refuse to be pessimistic about the building industry!!! http://tinyurl.com/d6oqjw
LaurenHunter_HW on Twitter
Smart marketing, or a little bribery? Attendees of Dewalt’s webinar this week will be entered in a drawing for a Nintendo Wii.
Recession Not Stopping Homeowners From Remodeling →
More than 60% of Angie’s List members polled in a recent survey said that they are planning a remodeling project for 2009, according to a Jan. 22, 2009, story by Michele Lerner on Examiner.com. Most respondents also said they will hire professionals to get the job done and will pay for the work outright rather through financing. The average amount they plan to spend is $23,450 (up from $15,020 in...
Region's construction woes continue →
It’s not a question of whether there’s a building slump in the Grand Traverse area. No, the question is: Just how low will it go?, from Traverse City Record-Eagle